Activites

• 1999/10/01 Final act published in Official Journal
• 1999/05/04 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0349/1999 summary

    The European Parliament adopted the resolution by Leoluca Orlando (V,IT) on the Commission Communication on Sustainable Urban Development in the European Union: A Framework for Action. The report welcomes the proposed plan and stresses that some 100,000 EU munipalities are threatened by decay of urban infrastructure, impoverishment and depopulation owing to the new dynamics of development of the world economy. It welcomes the initiative taken by the European Commission to present a Framework for Action covering 24 actions to be taken in order to make urban issues subject to an integrated policy approach at European level. Calling for the adoption of the European Spatial Development Plan (ESDP) - which has just been adopted by the Council of Ministers - the Parliament points out the need to develop towns and cities in Europe on the basis of a more multi-centric approach. It calls on the Commission to put forward an ambitious proposal on the future internal mechanism for implementing the inter-service coordination of all Community policies and measures affecting urban development, specifically assigning responsibility therefore to a Member of the Commission. The report invites the Commission to simplify management rules concerning urban pilot projects financed through the Structural Funds so as to reduce payment delays and make social synergies easier. It also requests the participation of urban local actors in the preparation, monitoring and evaluation of the programmes. In this respect, it welcomes the continuation of the URBAN Community Initiative and asks that it place a particular emphasis on small and medium-sized towns. It also considers that the street (and not only the district, as hitherto) should be included as the basic spatial unit. It also calls for the promotion of innovative actions with the aim of reinforcing the sustainable integration of cities in their regions, with the aim of revitalising community housing and facilities. The Council and the Commission are also called upon to revise the Trans-European Transport Networks policy in order to: - give priority to regional connections; - promote infrastructures and actions reducing the pressure placed on urban centres by car and truck traffic; - allow the financing of urban mobility projects. The report also calls for the promotion of sustainable modes of transport (walking, cycling and use of public transport) and intermodality. When implementing the urban action plan, it asks that the Commission take account, at all levels, of the particular concerns of women and of multiculturalism. On an international level, the Parliament calls on the European institutions and governments to ensure appropriate follow-up to the Habitat II process and calls on the Commission to formulate and implement, in the context of ACP-EU cooperation, a sustainable urban development policy framework. Finally, the Parliament proposes that the Commission should launch, as part of an integrated policy, 4 action lines following the Framework for Action's urban policy aims: 1) strengthening economic prosperity and employment; 2) promoting equality, social inclusion and regeneration; 3) protecting and improving the urban environment; 4) contributing to good urban governance and local empowerment. The Parliament believes that the following step should be the adoption of an Urban Agenda based on the ESDP, the main findings of comparative research on urban conditions in Europe and the first experience with the urban mainstreaming into the Structural Funds.�

• 1999/04/22 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0247/1999
• 1999/02/12 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1998/10/28 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(1998)0605 summary

    OBJECTIVE : Commission Communication regarding sustainable urban development in the EU outlining a framework for action. CONTENT : The EU Framework for action for sustainable urban development aims at better co-ordinated and targeted community action for urban problems and is organised under four interdependent policy aims : - Strengthening economic prosperity and employment in towns and cities : the Commission stresses the importance of improving the effectiveness of Structural Fund support by providing for an explicit urban dimension in regional programming. It also envisages that the Structural Funds will promote co-operation between urban areas in different Member States with a view to enhancing joint development opportunities; - Promoting equality, social inclusion and regeneration in urban areas : Future co-operation against discrimination and exclusion based on the new Amsterdam Treaty should recognise their particular concentration in urban areas. The Commission advocates an area-based approach to the regeneration of deprived urban areas under the Structural Funds, integrating economic, social, cultural, environmental, transport and security aspects. Linkages between urban areas in difficulty and the wider social and economic strategies in order to avopid urban segregation are equally important; - Protecting and improving the urban environment : towards local and global sustainability. The Framework for Action highlights those environmental actions most likely to lead to demonstrable improvements on the ground in urban areas, and draws together a wide range of Community initiatives that affect the quality of the urban environment, including urban energy management, transport, waste, air quality, water, noise and contaminated land. Emphasis is placed on integrated environmental management approaches and on how the Structural Funds can contribute to a more sustainable urban environment; - Contributing to good urban governance and local empowerment : There is a call for stronger policy integration between various levels of government and policy sectors and for citizen empowerment and involvement. The Commission foresees awareness-raising and capacity-building measures and support for innovative urban development strategies aimed at promoting good urban governance, empowerment and urban security. It proposes action to improve comparative information on urban conditions and offers to support the 'Urban Exchange Initiative' launched by the Member States. For each of these four aims, the Commission proposes to improve know-how and encourage exchange of experience between all the sectors involved. The Commission will improve internal service co-ordination with regard to urban issues. An Inter-service Group will continue to examine the urban implications of EU policies and instruments with a view to further strengthening their urban sensitivity and integration. Cross-cutting actions under the joint responsibility of relevant Commission services will be developed. The Commission will assess overall progress with the implementation of the Framework for Action in its triennial report on economic and social cohesion. It also envisages setting up a group of experts to discuss progress with the implementation of the Framework for Action and to advise theCommission on future activity. Dialogue with representatives from all levels of government and other interested parties can be organised by way of Open Platforms and by holding the Urban Forum on a regular basis.�

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(1998)0605
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A4-0247/1999
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0349/1999

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)